SALT LAKE CITY -- Federal Secret Service agents are investigating a man who was arrested in Utah on several charges of identity fraud and forgery.
Furat Awel Hussain reportedly moved to Utah about a year ago. Salt Lake City Police said they may have nabbed a major player in the fraud game with this arrest.
Detective Veronica Montoya with the Salt Lake City Police Department said the 45-year-old suspect was arrested at a Kohl’s Department Store, 1154 Brickyard Road, on Sunday, which was one day after he allegedly opened a charge account under a false name. Police were tipped off by the store’s loss prevention department.
“Loss prevention actually had been looking for the suspect,” she said. “He maybe had been there several times before, so we responded, and the employee finished the transaction and then officers were able to safely apprehend him.”
Police said Hussain had multiple fake IDs on his person, including drivers’ licenses from different states and Social Security cards with phony names. Police said Hussain eventually produced a Minnesota drivers’ license bearing his real name, after which he was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
“He was charged on multiple forgery and possession of forged documents as well that he had on his person at the time of arrest,” Montoya said. “I believe, as it stands, there was 35 charges.”
Salt Lake City police contacted Secret Service agents who then filed a federal fraud complaint through the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The investigation into the case is ongoing, and additional police agencies may be looking at Hussain in connection with other fraud cases. Hussain has already made his first appearance in federal court on the Secret Service charges, and he will back in court on February 14.
